The future of motoring is driverless and research by MoneySupermarket suggests that it might be closer to becoming reality than is generally realised.

Google’s driverless Toyota Prius is without doubt the most famous driverless car in development, with the American Internet colossus predicting that its technology will finally be put on sale by 2018 at the latest.

However, there are a number of well-established car manufacturers who are making a similar effort to conquer this developing market. Mercedes Benz is the closest to getting a driverless car on the market, with their autonomous S-Class set to be released later this year. The car will be capable of operating without driver input at speeds of up to 25 mph, which will be ideal for inner city driving.

However, it is the solution which is being worked on by General Motors which has the greatest potential to impact upon the motoring market. The American company is developing a system which will be capable of dropping off its owner and parking itself without guidance. The motorist will then be able to request a pick-up point from the car using a smart phone application. General Motors have estimated that they will start mass producing autonomous vehicles by 2015.

Driverless cars won’t just have the potential to make our lives easier; they may also lead to a dramatic reduction in the number of road accidents and congestion according to enthusiasts. As well as saving lives and reducing injuries, this could also lead to a reduction in the cost of car insurance premiums as motorists will make fewer claims from the insurance companies.

MoneySupermarket.com has put together the following infographic giving a bit of background about the history of the driverless car industry and the current race between eight different companies to take control of the market: